Scarface is Boring and Mediocre and Deserves to Be So Much More

Back in N4, Scarface was in no way amazing, but was still competent and, similarly to the Blue Wolf, did a very good job representing an extremely aggressive 'run it to the ground' TAG playstyle. Unfortunately, as we've progressed into N5, both these TAGs have suffered greatly due to overall systems changes and a lack of updates to keep them up with a significant increase in the rate of power creep.

I'm going to focus on Scarface right now, because Joe and Cordelia just had a gorgeous (and expensive) new set release coming out at the same time as an enormous rules rebalancing, as well as significant reworks for all the other TAGs coming out at this time, and despite all my attempts to justify taking them, they just feel dead on arrival and will be relegated to shelf warmers, or proxy for a competent TAG.

The fundamental problem with Team Scarface comes not just from being mediocre-to-bad, but also being now boring. For a TAG that has so much personality, and the lore behind them, this is an enormous waste.

The Goal:

An important distinction to make with Scarface and Cordelia is that I don't think they should be premium, apex TAGs. I don't think that they should represent something along the level of top level battle TAGs. While Joe is exceptional among mercenaries, he's not exactly meant to be in the same echelon as a Pan-O main TAG, for example. He's something altogether more ramshackle, scrappy, and quirky. I think the role and functionality of team Scarface should reflect that, and encouraging a more unique, less redundant method of play with them is more important than throwing excessive optimization their way (although they should be good enough within their role to justify their use).

In the case of team Scarface, this issue is multi-faceted, because it's not just one boring trooper profile being mediocre and not worth taking, it's two boring and mediocre troopers that have to be taken together.

Cordelia:

Back in N3, team Scarface was somewhat unique (although still not very good). TAGs with duo access were extremely rare (if not non-existant at one point outside of Geckos). Cordelia was unique because you were able to take an engineer alongside your TAG, which was a pretty big deal at the time. That alone was enough to establish her as a semi-competent 'combat' engineer, and the inclusion of mimetism and built-in DTW, also significantly more rare then than it is today, also helped with that.
However, while Cordelia was never the best engineer in any faction that she could be taken, she not only lags further behind than ever against some amazing engineer options, she's not even the best engineer to link with Scarface. In pretty much any case where I could take team Scarface, I would happily drop Cordelia in an instant for any of the better options available in any faction that they reside.


Scarface:

In N4, Scarface's profile took a huge step up from its original N3 incarnation. In addition to being Cordelia's big brother, it was also the Blue Wolf's in a lot of ways. Its kit encouraged a highly aggressive 'run it 'til it dies' playstyle, with high-burst mid-range weapon and sacrificial 'boost-pad' Berserk utility (one of the few implamentations of the rule that was good before its overuse in N4). He wanted to get in, do a lot of damage, and go down gloriously in flames. And then get out of the robot and take someone else down with him.
Now, things have changed. Inside of Scarface, the Berserk change gutted much of his close combat utility. He's an okay-ish CC fighter on a good day (and on his active turn), and he can't force trades against his ARM7 hide anymore. And unlike most other TAGs in the game, he doesn't have a template to fulfill that role either, making his lack of real CC utility all the more painful.
As a gunfighter, Scarface is okay. B5 carries a lot of weight for him, but with BS13 and no vis mods, he just does not keep up with most of the guns in the factions he's in. There are a lot of better gunfighters in every single faction that he occupies. And they cost less.

But there's also the lore aspect that can be better exploited here. He's known for being a deadly pilot, but due to neurological damage, has to be kept in check by 'synaptic dampeners' to stop him from going crazy in combat. There's a lot of potential to play with that just doesn't get used.

In summation, we have two profiles that have lost a lot of whatever uniqueness they may have had with time. They don't do much that's unique anymore, and they're far from efficient. Ultimately, what I want out of them:

1) Joe and Cordelia should function complimentarily and competently as a team.
2) Team Scarface should function less redundantly than superior options.
3) Team Scarface has cool, fun lore and can work better to demonstrate that on the table.


So, that enormous preamble out of the way, since no one will read this anyway, I'm going to play around with something that I'd like to see on some level. I'm not going to add point costs, as I don't think the specific costing is a major issue here, so long as the profiles function well enough within a reasonable range. That said, I'd actually expect the team's costs to go down with these changes.


Scarface Turner, TAG Mercenary
MOV:6-4 CC:22 BS13 PH:16 WIP:13 ARM:7 BTS:6 STR:3 S:7
Equipment: ECM: Guided (-6) • ECM: Hacker (-3)
Special Skills: Berserk (+3) • BS Attack (SR-1) • CC Attack (-3) • Natural Born Warrior • Dogged • Courage • Dodge (PH=11) • Gizmokit (PH=11) • Tactical Awareness • Transmutation (2) • Transmutation (Cordellia VITA=0)

Synaptic Inhibitors Disabled
MOV:6-4 CC:24 BS:12 PH:16 WIP:13 ARM:7 BTS:6 STR:3 S:7
Equipment: ECM: Guided (-6) • ECM: Hacker (-3)
Special Skills: Impetuous • Limited Cover • Climbing Plus • Berserk (+6) • BS Attack (SR-1) • CC Attack (-3) • Natural Born Warrior • Dogged • Warhorse • Courage •Dodge (PH=14) • Dodge (+2") • Gizmokit (PH=11) • Tactical Awareness

Turtlemek, Ancilliary Remote Unit
*Unchanged from original version

*Weapon loadouts unchanged from original version

Key here with this change is to push the idea of Joe's fiery temper and encourage an aggressive playstyle. As a main gunfighter, he actually ends up getting worse here, as he loses BS and cover BS mods after he taks damage. Ultimately, I don't think trying to compete with better troopers in that field is a good direction for him anyway. I'd like to avoid throwing BS-3 on everything as the new universal problem solver, and there's already so much good competition there to begin with. I originally didn't want to add a mobility skill to the profile, but I don't see him being able to effectively engage in CC without one. I opted for C+ instead of super jump in order to limit the efficiency (although there is an argument to be made for Super Jump with the enormous thrusters on his legs).
In this case, the ideal use for Scarface would be to use the initial profile to get into the middle of the table before cutting lose. Ultimately, the goal would be to be cheap, lethal, and aggressive, relying on Cordelia for any measure of safety and restraint. You hurt his ride or his sister, and he will come for you.


Cordelia Turner, Mercenary Engineer
MOV:4-4 CC:13 BS:11 PH:10 WIP:13 ARM:1 BTS:3 VITA:1 S:2
Equipment: Deactivator • Gizmokit
Special Skills: Courage • Engineer (ReRoll-3) • Mimetism (-3) • Stealth

Cordelia Turner - SMG, D-Charges, Madtraps I Deployable Cover - Boarding Pistol, CC Weapon

Fairly simple change here. The SMG cuts her cost, while Madtraps and Stealth allow her to employ more aggressive forks for Scarface in what should be his ideal operating range. Rerolls on the engineer skill help to make up for the inherent crapshoot of the piloted-TAG penalty, and also lines up with Cordelia not only being some kind of engineering wunderkind, but also for the fact that she basically built (and rebuilt... and rebuilt) Joe's Ramhorn in its current state.
Deployable cover lets her set up Vitroferro cover once Joe's lost his marbles to help provide him some level of protection when he can't get full cover bonuses.

Lastly, I wouldn't mind seeing them gain the (Team Scarface) tag on their fireteam profiles.


Ultimately, I don't see these profile adjustments turning them into an Apex TAG, and again, I don't think that should be their role. I think what was given to the new wave of TAGs outside of Scarface, and the reworks given in general with this most recent update, far outstrip what I've given here. But I hope that something like this, or any adjustment that can be given to them, at least gives them a place where they can do something to make them worth taking.
As it stands right now, I'm feeling more and more like I just bought an expensive paper weight. And maybe it's just my buyer's remorse, but I'd really love to see a reason, even if not perfectly optimal, to put these two on the table.